Big Lurch
Antron Singleton (born 15 September 1976), better known by his stage name Big Lurch, is an American rapper. During his music career, he worked with many Bay Area, New Orleans and Texas-based rappers. He was also a member of the group Cosmic Slop Shop alongside Donnie Baby and Rick Rock. He is currently serving a life sentence for murdering his female roommate and eating parts of her body while under the influence of PCP in April 2002. Singleton is incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California. Early life Antron Singleton was born in Forth Worth, Texas, and grew up in nearby east Dallas. At seven years old, he began writing poetry and later decided to pursue a career in rapping. Career His first performance came in 1990. He rapped using the stage name G-Spade early in his career, before he changed his name to Big Lurch after earning the nickname from his peers. This was due to his intimidating figure; he was slim and stood at 6 foot and 6 inches. He made his debut appearance in 1996 on E-40's 1996 album Tha Hall of Game. During the late 1990s, he made appearances on songs by artists such as C-Bo, RBL Posse, Yukmouth, DJ U-Neek, Mac Dre and Outlawz. On 16 September 2000, Singleton was driving his car when a drunk driver crashed into him. Singleton suffered a broken neck, and was heavily meditated in the hospital. He wrote the song "Texas Boy" while on medication. After being released from the hospital, Singleton had trouble walking and was still in pain, and began using PCP to ease the pain. In 2004, his debut studio album, It's All Bad, was released, and features artists such as Killa Tay, C-Bo, Lil Keke and Too Short. Murder and lawsuit On 10 April 2002, Singleton murdered his 21-year-old roommate Tynisha Ysais in her apartment in Los Angeles, California. The two had both used PCP the day before the murder took place. The victim was found in her apartment by a friend. Her chest had been torn open and a three-inch blade was found broken off in her should blade. Teeth marks were found on her face and lungs, which had been torn from her chest. Neighbours reported hearing thrashing sounds, followed by an argument and screaming. Eyewitnesses stated that, when Singleton was picked up by police, he was naked, covered in blood, standing in the middle of the street, and staring at the sky. A medical examination performed shortly after his capture found human flesh in his stomach that was not his own. On 7 November 2003, Singleton was sentenced to life in prison. He had been convicted of murder and aggravated mayhem the previous June after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity at the time of the murder. The court ruled that his intoxication and claimed insanity were not satisfactory reasons for committing the crime, after a court-appointed psychiatrist who evaluated Singleton reported that he had no reason to believe Singleton was of unsound mind, although three other court-appointed doctors concluded that Singleton was insane during the commission of the crime. The district attorney made a motion for a directed verdict, stating that PCP intoxication can not be used as grounds for an insanity plea in California, and the judge granted it. Some evidence casts doubt on whether Singleton actually committed the murder. A bloody hand print on a scooter used to inflict blunt trauma did not match his prints, and DNA was found at the scene that did not match Singleton or the victim. It is not known whether he will ever be eligible for parole. A petition to "Free Big Lurch" has been started by those believing his conviction was based on entirely circumstantial evidence. Singleton believes that he was set-up, and Ysais' mother believes that he did not kill her daughter. Singleton was featured in the film Rhyme and Punishment, a 2011 documentary that chronicles hip hop artists who have been incarcerated. In the film, Singleton talks about his conviction and his time in prison. Discography *2004: It's All Bad Category:1976 births Category:American rappers Category:African-American rappers Category:Rappers from Dallas, Texas Category:Rappers from Texas Category:Southern hip hop musicians Category:Rappers serving prison sentences